To what extent was the publication of the Balfour Declaration the greatest turning point in the Arab Israeli conflict, during the period between 1908 and 2011? (25 marks)

You must first assess what the question is asking you: This question is asking you to assess the degree to which the Balfour Declaration created the greatest turning point in the conflict and therefore to do so you must look at the impact it had in the escalation of the conflict. However, the question also wants you to bring forward alternative factors that could be considered the greatest turning point and therefore question the validity of the argument in the question. Additionally, by mentioning the time period, the question is implying that you should use evidence from across the period of 1908-2011 to support your argument. Finally, the question is asking you to give a definitive conclusion about whether the publication of the Balfour Declaration was the greatest turning point in the Arab Israeli conflict or not. If you conclude by saying that it was not the greatest turning point, then you must suggest which turning point that occurred during the period 1908-2011 was the greatest turning point and therefore, which event has had the greatest impact on the progression or escalation of the conflict. Answering the question: In the introduction, you want to outline your understanding of the question and present your key point for each paragraph that will follow. Begin by presenting the argument that is in line with the question: The publication of the Balfour Declaration can be seen as a significant turning point in the Arab, Zionist/Israeli conflict during the period, as it can be argued that it was the trigger to the first signs of tensions within Palestine. You then want to present the alternative arguments that you are planning to assess, for example, that the creation of Israeli in 1948 was a more significant turning point because it gave the zionist their first legal claim to the land in Palestine. As this essay is worth 25 marks, you will want to produce two alternative arguments to the one suggested in the question (the third argument could be presenting the 1967 war as the greatest turning point). At the end of the introduction, you should make a final judgement on the significance of the Balfour Declaration, and retain this overall argument throughout. In the main body of the essay you should assess each of the three arguments, supporting each point with evidence across the period of 1908-2011, while also presenting any criticisms to the argument that the factor is the most important. Conclude each paragraph with an overall judgement of the significance of the factor you have just discussed, linking it back to the question, and thus comparing the alternative factors to the significance of the Balfour Declaration. Finally, you want to conclude the essay by summing up your points of argument and the significance of each factor. Weigh up the significance of each factor against the other factors. You must give a final judgement on the significance of the Balfour Declaration and thus give a final assessment of the question, demonstrating which factor should be considered the greatest turning point in the Arab Israeli conflict during the period of 1908-2011.